Thursday, July 9, 2009

Yesterday I posted a link to the Canadian Silk website for a 75 cent coupon. The reason I did so was because I was confident that Silk was made from organic soy beans and was pretty much OK. In fact, I am sure at one point their carton claimed that 86% of the ingredients in Silk, including the soy beans, were organic. But then I got an email from Michael with this link. Turns out, Silk used to be made with organic soy beans until Dean Foods (the largest milk processor in the US) took it over. I rushed to the fridge and looked at a carton. Sure enough, it said that Silk was made from "natural soybeans" and made no other claims about organic ingredients. I had totally missed the switch. So now I am providing the link to the Canadian Silk site and the American Silk site so we can all write in and tell them they suck. Make Silk organic again!

UPDATE: Not all Silk is affected, only some types. My chocolate Silk says it is organic, my plain Silk is not. Note the very subtle differences in the packages above--from "organic" to "natural." Note as well (sorry for the hastily snapped pic) that the carton on the left says it is made from "natural whole soybeans" while the right says "whole organic soy beans," has an organic certification, and makes the 86% organic claim. Readers from the U.S. have told me that Silk makes an explicitly organic brand for $1 more than the others, but I have not seen it here. Why not make all Silk from organic domestic soybeans, like it once was? And can we in good conscience support Dean Foods?

yeah, it is such a drag. we loved Silk, and then after the switch, I stopped buying it. They also no longer use North American soy beans. So, they went from organic and N.American to international and gmo-non-organic. So disappointing. Then we switched to VitaSoy, who promptly went out of business. I'm still working off my Vitasoy stockpile... and then I'll have to start tastetesting again. sigh!

Oh! Why oh why must industry ruin all the good things, makes my blood boil. The scary thing about the word "natural" is that it can actually be used when something is artificial and even when it's GMO (at least here in the US). I'm scared of GMO, esp GMO soy. Looks like I'll be on the Almond milk wagon again.

Huh....I didn't know this either. I'm not strictly organic, but I still feel kinda duped. Why would they take a good thing and mess it up? For money, of course...but still, that is stupid...stupid Deen Foods.

Yeah, unfortunately they have dropped the organic bit. I rarely buy Silk any more, only in emergency situations where I don't have any soybeans soaking to make my own soy milk. If I do buy soymilk, it's generally Eden Soy which, I think, has a much better taste.

I definitely think its important to take your soybeans organic-ness seriously as soybeans are like corn having a high probability of being genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. Here is a good link of GMO free foods: http://www.safe-food.org/-consumer/brands.htmlI think EdenSoy is organic and non-GMO. Its so ridiculous how you get used to it being organic then they do the bait and switch. SUCH BS! You're a good dad!

Dean Foods has owned Silk for a few years now. However it's only just recently that they've stopped using organic soybeans so that they can save money. (Note that the price of Silk hasn't decreased, but the price of their soybeans that they routinely source from China is cheaper.)

This doesn't affect me being in the UK and all but I find it so irritating when companies get taken over by bigger companies and then stuff like this happens. Over here it was the whole Green & Blacks chocolate thing that was most annoying.

Here in the U.S., I have noticed a new "organic" silk. Its in a green carton. it has organic across the front in a big banner.Sucks that they are owned by a big dairy company, but it figures since it is so well marketed today.I use mostly almond milk now.

Thanks for the heads up, I just posted this in a reply to a complaint on their facebook page:

I agree with Sierra's original complaint. We have been buying the "blue Silk" for years, and to find out after purchase that it's not the same anymore leaves me feeling swindled. Thanks also for putting the same thing that I have been drinking forever in fancy new green packaging too, it is much easier to spot. Har har.

As for the "organic" and "natural" varieties, this is the kind of nonsensical greenwashing that will push me away from your products for good. Organic IS natural, pesticides are NOT.

I'm sure the marketing department at Dean Foods thought long and hard about these decisions, but they came to very wrong conclusions.

Silk owes it's place in the world today to people who were drinking organic soy milk long before there were "green" PR stunts and to companies who made choices based on the good of their product instead of the benefit to their bottom line. Rebranding your flagship product is a very risky move, good luck with that.

We bought Eden Soy most of the time, but would by Silk once ib a while until they sold out and dropped the organic. Personally, I think letters to Dean Foods and a boycott would be great. I've heard there is now a coconut milk (for drinking) on the market. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm guessing it will have the texture of Silk which is why I think a lot of people preferred Silk over other brands.

I agree with what nick has said above. Organic Valley soymilk is very tasty and (obviously) organic. I'd also recommend using the "original" instead of the vanilla flavored one as the "original" tastes fine and the vanilla variety is a little too sweet.

here is a link to their product page:http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/soy/

This seems to be a common occurence nowadays. All the smaller vegetarian and vegan or just healthy companies are getting bought up by the bigger conglomerates. The problem is that the smaller companies often have their own suppliers that are organic. Once they are bought out, the conglomerate tries to save money by using it's own subsidiaries to fill those ingredient needs. It's why you often find that vegan products are no longer vegan once they get bought out by a conglomerate- because the big guys also own egg production companies. It's in their interest to reformulate the product in order to use ingredients they also own. Sucks for everyone else. It pays to keep up on who buys who, and to watch labels eevry time you buy. I stopped buying Silk when I found out they weren't openly admitting they were no longer organic.

I have a friend who is adamantly opposed to buying Silk now because of the dairy involvement. Not sure why though, since she eats cheese... and yogurt. I'm kinda "eh" about the whole thing. I now buy the Silk Organic Unsweetened in the green box. I think though I'm gonna start making my own almond milk and save some cash. I'll continue using soy beans (organic) with meals. I go on and off being into soy. One thing is for sure, soy milk makes smoothies a lot more frothy and thick than almond milk!

I've heard from someone here in the US that some stores are carrying organic Silk, with the "organic" prominently displayed, for about $1 more than the regular Silk. Perhaps the cost of soybeans has convinced Dean to charge more for something they were already doing.

Regardless, most soybeans are GMO, which makes me eager to seek out something organic and non-GMO, if possible.

Grrr totally writing to them, because even if they have a separate organic variety, they're doing this to save money on their end, not to help us. I buy their coffee creamer because there aren't many other vegan creamer solutions, but I'll keep my eyes open.

The American version of Silk is definitely organic (although perhaps there are non-organic flavors). I almost just wrote a long and what would have been embarrassing email, when I decided to check the carton I have in the fridge. Turns out, there's a huge "organic" banner across the front.

I live in the new york city and have no problem finding organic silk, but perhaps my location has a lot to do with that.

I think either you or Mike the emailer need to do a little more research before we all write in with emails that make no sense!

However, it is upsetting that they may no longer be using local, domestic soy beans.

Yep, another former Silk family here. Noticed the Organic Silk one day when shopping for my usual unsweetened and thought-- wait a second, I thought this *was* organic. Not cool guys. Sent Silk a letter as soon as I got home.

Anne,The email still would have made sense. I have not seen the organic brand here, so it may not be available in the Canadian market. The fact is they are selling types of soy milk that used to be made from organic domestic soy beans and are not from other (possibly Chinese) non-organic sources. And, we now have to deal with the fact that Silk is owned by the largest dairy producer in the U.S.

I wish I could find a non-Silk creamer for coffee. Everything else seems to separate into curdling ick when I put it in.

If it helps, I use Natur-a Soy Light, though they make the full spectrum of soy and even rice drinks as well. They are third-party certified GM0 free and organic, kosher, and Canadian, made in Quebec using locally sourced whole soybeans.

It comes in tetras, which is great if you have limited fridge space. I preferred the taste of Silk, and I found Natur-a to be similar. I buy it at Planet Organic (in Edmonton) but I think they carry it at the Real Canadian Super Store. If you have this chain of superstores, or any place that carries President's Choice brand goods, the PC Organics Soy milk is decent, though I'm not sure where it's from.

I'm so glad you re-posted about Silk brand. I love your blog, so I was super disappointed to read that Silk is your favorite. In addition to not containing organic soy as well as being owned by a huge corporation, Silk sources its soybeans from Brazil and other foreign countries. Forests in these countries are clearcut to make space for growing soybeans (most feed the cattle industry). I recommend searching for locally and organically produced soy products. Even as vegans we need to be paying attention to where our vegan food is coming from and how it is made.

I'd be worried if I used non-organic soy milk that Monsanto would have me genetically tested and tell me they own me. I'll stick to organic whatever I have to do! I'm wondering if there are any domestic soybeans that are organic since I thought Monsanto owned just about every soybean in North America.

I just purchased some silk unsweetened soymilk and it has the organic label on the front of it. Our stores here in Lorain, Ohio has the organic soymilk. Sorry for your inconvenience. But I will write to them to complain.

I actually just found this out about a month ago, when my husband called me from the grocery store and asked if I wanted the organic Silk. I told him the one we usually get (in the red carton) was organic, and he said, "No, it's not. The new one is." Sure enough, our usual one was NOT ORGANIC!!! I was so mad! So now, we buy the organic one, but the stinkin' chocolate is still not organic! What an outrage! I will definitely be writing to Silk. Why make some organic and others not? It makes no sense! I don't think that Silk fans would might a slight price increase for organic chocolate soymilk. I know I wouldn't mind. I love that stuff. I attempted drinking a different chocolate (organic) soymilk- Jewel's Wild Harvest brand, but it couldn't take more than the first sip. Not tasty.

I stopped buying Silk years ago when I read that they used unfair labor practices (don't know if this is still the case). There are a lot of other brands on the market now, so it shouldn't be hard to find a good organic replacement. Costco carries one through Kirkland.

yeah, ive stopped using silk too.it all goes back to that chart you posted a while back showing what large companies owned organic ones. and money...obviously all Dean foods want is money.i hate that the crazy food industry is just getting worse and filtering into health foods even...and tricking people who have no clue into what their buying is "health food".i just found out most corn is GM. and canola. i already knew about soy but that took me a while too. its all so crazy! genetically moditfied anything is not health foods.how did we come to this? the classic great-for-you-veggie now has to be watched.:(

That is so terrbile! I am not sure about your Canadian Soy milk, but our United States Silk is also Kosher Dairy since it went to Deen foods- and my son's friend with a dairy allergy had a reaction to Silk soymilk- so I am guessing that means it probably isn't vegan if it contains 'trace amounts of milk protein'. Just a heads up.

Here's a great site with a score card including just about every soy milk I can think of. I was surpsied at what companies got awful scores! Since reading all these reviews, we now go out of our way to buy more sustainable brands of s.milk when we're desperate.

We stopped buying Silk because of the dairy involvement and the non-recyclable tetra packs (Tallahassee isn't one of the few cities that recycles them). With the amount of s.milk we go through, that's an insane amount of waste on our behalf. Even if the tetras are recycleable, the plastic caps aren't and when you add those all up, that's a lot of waste that will never, ever decompose and will only break down into smaller and smaller polymers that get absorbed into our water, land, plants, animals and us. VBS's Toxic Garbage Island taught me a lot about the waste our family generates and it has really changed how we buy things.

We make s.milk from organic beans (literally, a quart cost us pennies - it can be done without a fancy s.milk maker!) which we use for cooking (I still haven't gotten use to the beanier taste - it's good! Just not as processed and more natural) and we make organic almond or cashew milk for drinking and cereal (so much like whole cow's milk minus the cruelty!).

Thanks for the post, VD! Off to make the weekly meal plan based on the site ;)

I actually noticed a decrease in the price of Silk at the grocery stores and health food store. One store sales it for $2.99 now! It must be because of not using organic soybeans, now on the box it says non-gmo soybeans. what a bummer.

What a coincidence--the Chicago Tribune's cover story today was about how Dean foods is using its organic labels to market new Natural brands--aka make a huge profit without having to pay organic prices. They're coming out with new yogurt aimed at toddler's that says all natural, probably because a survey was run that said most consumers prefer natural to organic because they don't know the difference. It's sad how aware we have to be about everything we purchase nowadays...

Someone mentioned Natura Soy Milk - I have to second that. All flavours are tasty and of course organic. You can sometimes get their soy milk in larger cartons as well. Another fave is So Nice - it is organic as well and I have seen in it in every food store (I'm in Eastern ontario, so I am sure they would have it up North).

Actually started reading the labels on Silk at the store. Noticed that oddly the un-refrigerated rectangular cartons of 'vanilla' are labeled as 'organic' and the the cartons keep in the cold are labeled 'natural'. funny huh? This seems to be the trend among other Silk products I believe.

I am also upset that Silk no longer uses organic soybeans for their Vanilla I've been buying for years. I did not notice until I read it somewhere online last month. I checked the Silk Vanilla I had, and sure enough it was not organic anymore. I now use Eden or SoyDream for soy milk. I also like hemp and almond milk.

I posted about this on my blog awhile back. I learned about it from the Organic Consumers Association or I wouldn't have noticed. Our co-op does not carry the new organic line, or I think it might have been more obvious since the new boxes are quite different. It's no wonder stores haven't switched though as they even kept the same price point and UPC on the now non-organic old looking version!

Also,in addition to not being organic, Silk milk contains carrageenan, which I have read it might not be safe when consumed often...Although most soy milk contain thikenning agents I rather have just plain soymilk (filtered water and organic soybeans)without any extra ingredients...We use West Soy brand, but have to admit haven't done any research on who makes it, packaging, etc....

Not that I buy Silk, but I checked it out when I was shopping this weekend and here in Bolton Ontario they still sell Silk in the red container and it's still Organic. No other non-organic version available. It's still $3.99 as it's always been. They have a lite version however and that one doesn't even list organic soybeans, it simply lists soy flour.

I've actually been drinking the Wildwood brand of soymilks (I think they have original, plain and vanilla), and I have to say I prefer the texture/taste of it over the Silk ones. And everything Wildwood makes is organic, which is a plus, and I heard that they're the only major company in the U.S. that makes their products in a strictly non-dairy facility. (You can double-check on that, that's what they claim.) You should try it! Love your reviews!

Seems like making your own soy milk is the answer; that's what I did a couple of months ago when I found out about Silk's farce.

I don't care if one or more of their soy milk products is non-GMO or organic; who would want to support the likes of food companies who continually try to pull the wool over the consumers' eyes? Sure, the contents are listed on their labels, but I'd still be very, very leery! Switching soy beans midstream like that is tricky, but that's how the big conglomerates seem to operate.

Making your own soy milk is the healthiest and safest way to go; that way you know what's in the end product. The process may sound tedious; but it's actually a snap, saves money and keeps those cartons out of our overladen landfills.

BTW, I'm not here to promote soy milk makers; just sharing a few thoughts; really ranting and raving! Vegan Dad, thanks for the post; I'll be sending Silk a piece of my mind!

So I did write an email about Silk using non-domestic soybeans and this was the answer I got. It's a form answer and may be a bunch of b.s., but I thought I'd share.

Also, I've been thinking about this a lot and am wondering if this is an opportunity to talk about whether or not it is beneficial to buy the vegan product that a non-vegan food producer makes. Although this may be an exception, I've heard arguments supporting the idea of such products because they make them accessible and help get them into the mainstream. I don't know how I feel about this particular example, but it's an interesting topic.

Okay, enough babbling, here is the email:

Thank you for contacting WhiteWave Foods. We appreciate the opportunity to address your comments.

In 2008 Silk® partnered with Conservation International to create Silk’s Soybean Sourcing and Production Program, which reinforces our values and commitment to sourcing soybeans that are produced in a sustainable, socially responsible and ethical manner. We are very proud of this work, and are continuing our work with Conservation International on future initiatives.

Here are a few of the highlights from Silk’s Sourcing Program:• Currently, we source all of our beans from North America. If the product is from Silk, the soybeans are from North America.• Silk is not sourcing beans from China. In the past, we have sourced a small portion of beans from China. Silk stopped contracting for soybeans from China at the end of 2006.• We only partner with suppliers that can produce beans that pass our robust quality testing and evaluation protocols.• All Silk soybeans – non-genetically modified organism (GMO) and organic – are currently sourced domestically.• Our non-GMO beans are put through robust quality testing and evaluation protocols.• We have comprehensive testing protocols in place to detect GMOs, pesticide residue and other potential contaminants – all of which are above and beyond regulatory requirements.• Organic soybeans purchased by Silk are certified organic by independent agencies accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in compliance with the organic standards set by the National Organic Program (NOP).

For further information, we encourage you to visit our Web site: (http://www.silksoymilk.com/SourcingProgram.aspx). We appreciate your ongoing support, and remain committed to consistently providing consumers with high-quality, great-tasting soymilk.

so glad to read this as i was ust told to stop buying silk for the china reason...SO glad it's not true. that very vanilla is the best soymilk i have ever had. so until i grow my own soybeans and make my own soymilk (which i hope will be soon)i will stick with silk.

Thanks Vegan Dad! Great site and recipes. I do not drink soymilk anymore but know a lot of people who do drink Silk and are unaware about it's maker and what goes into it. I agree with Anne and appreciate that she take the time to write in.

I just wrote on my blog about How "Industry Giants Are Undermining the Organic Movement". http://aveganjourney.blogspot.com I took a segment from the Orgamoc Consumers Association. This is a good article. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18493.cfm

I checked the tetra boxes at Whole Foods and they all say "organic" but all the old silk in the refridgerated section now no longer say organic.

Also MimicCreme (http://mimiccreme.com/)makes the best cream substitute I have ever tried, and its nut based. But also "natural", not organic. However it is vegan. And I see they now have a coffee creamer, which I have not tried

We stopped using packaged soy milk and almond milk when we compared the ingredients to the home-made nut milks. Why ingest weird chemical-sounding stuff when you can have two pure ingredients - nuts and water?

I always used to buy Silk as well until their switch. Here in the United States they changed their packaging so it is much clearer what is organic and what is not. I find the switch absolutely irritating.....seemingly for profit only as they used to be mainly organic and now have both. I stopped buying their brand.

In addition, they have not offered their Silk Very Vanilla in organic form. I emailed them regarding this issue to see if they planned to switch at any time (as they are the only company with such a flavor). However, my reply from them was rather obnoxious. They proceeded to tell me that product suggestions are not taken from anyone except for FOCUS groups!! How ridiculous to think a customer who actually purchases their product could have a say! So much for Silk!

I am a Silk drinker only; or should I say up to now I was drinking it, thinking it was organic; found the organic one and will try the other brand. I can't thank you enough for letting us be aware of the changes in this product.

just read your post ... good catch. made me check my own soya milk of choice, natura, as i had no idea if it was made with organic soy beans. just checked the fridge and yes it is made with whole organic soya beans and manufactured in quebec. ever tried it? what's interesting is that i've never seen them even market the fact that they use organic soy beans.

have no idea if it has more of anything else unhealthy as compared to silk.

I see someone has posted the cornocopia site link above, but for those of you who would like to know which major corporations now own the small organic foods you once loved to support you can check out this site:http://www.cornucopia.org/who-owns-organic/

It's another frightening wake up call and another reason to support your local producers/farmers markets, etc...

Hi, I'm not Vegan, and I can't even say whether or not I'm in the same political realm with you all, but I just got an upset letter from Silk in response to an article I wrote where used a Denver Post article as a source that mentions the China source, and I also noted my own personal experience with Silk. My article, part II of II, from a consumers point of view is here: http://www.ldsmag.com/goGreen/091103businesses.html . The letter I got, I'll post separately, due to size. Aside from politics, I'd appreciate any feedback. Glad I came across your blog in the process of trying to find other material, beyond the Denver Post article, with which I can answer B. Olsen from White Wave. He (or she?), also refers to Horizon Dairies, and I KNOW they have had issues with the USDA Organics program...any more input from you all on that? (I know dairy isn't vegan...)

I am not affiliated with Silk Soy in any way (other than as a consumer). But, I defend on their website, they explicitly state that they use non-GMO soybeans grown in North America. And, they also clarify about the organic and non-organic products.

I mean, if you are calling them a liar, whatever.

That being said, while I love the original Silk Soy and give them credit for the above, I am disappointed that it is not organic, and more disappointed that Silk Soy is now owned by Dean Foods.

Greta,I am not calling them liars, just pointing out the subtle switch from organic to natural. Check out the link I posted above which goes into more detail about soy beans, organic and otherwise.

In Canada, Silk still makes several organic varieties (chocolate, plain, unsweetened). On a recent trip to Ohio, I noticed these varieties were all "natural." I am not sure why there is a difference, or why all Silk can't be organic.

I use Organic, Unsweeted Silk & it is the same price at Albertsons here in SoCal as all of the other varieties of Silk. It also states on the package that it is made with non-GMO, North American soybeans... so they must be listening.

I was at Sprout's yesterday, and picked up some WildWood Organic, Unsweeted soymilk, and it is pretty good as well.

Some one suggested Organic Valley products, and just last year they were shown to remove HEALTHY aspects of the product to insert synthetic. Stay away from Organic Valley, they're not on the up and up.